How to Garden With Tea Leaves

As a tea drinker, you wonder if those tea leaves are useful for anything in your garden. The short answer is yes. Garden with tea leaves, as they can be used as both a soil conditioner and a fertilizer. For an additional benefit, use tea leaves in your compost pile. Tea contains antioxidants and nitrogen to condition and fertilize the soil. Give your plants a boost with tea and tea leaves.

Things You'll Need

• Old brewed tea
• Tea leaves
• Compost pile
• Kitchen scraps
• Straw
• Wood shavings
• Paper
• Leaves
• Tarp
• Shovel

Instructions

1. "Water" plants occasionally with cold-brewed tea. The leftover tea provides a shot of nutrients to plants.

2. Scatter used tea leaves in your garden. Till the soil to mix the tea leaves and soil so that the plants receive the nitrogen quicker.

3. Mix tea leaves into the compost pile. If you don't have a compost pile, start one by mixing tea leaves, kitchen scraps, and other plant material and layering it with pulpy brown organic material such as paper, leaves, wood shavings and straw. Wet the pile down and cover with a tarp. Stir the compost pile every three days and use the compost for fertilizer and plantings.

References

• Tea Chat: What to Do with Used Tea Leaves
• Teapot Diversions: Are You Composting Your Tea Leaves?